Illness Perception, Coping, and Psychosocial Outcomes in Children with Functional Neurological Disorders Compared to Children with Epilepsy.

This study explored differences in illness perceptions, coping, and psychosocial outcomes in children with functional neurological disorders (FND) and epilepsy. It also examined moderating and mediating role of coping between illness perceptions and psychosocial outcomes. A cross-sectional design was used. Thirty-three children with FND and thirty-two with epilepsy completed measures of illness perceptions, coping, anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life. Children with FND reported more threatening illness perceptions, higher levels of anxiety and depression, and poorer quality of life. In both groups, threatening illness perceptions were positively correlated with anxiety, and negatively with quality of life. A positive correlation between illness perceptions and depression was found only among children with FND. Coping moderated these relationships differently across groups. In the FND group, it moderated the association between illness perceptions and quality of life, whereas in the epilepsy group, it moderated the association between illness perceptions and depression. These findings highlight the importance of addressing illness perceptions and supporting children to use coping strategies they find helpful. Moreover, screening for illness perceptions and coping may help identify the most vulnerable children and inform treatment targets.